No Matter What They Say
by AmazingGraceless
Summary: What if Mal met the family of the Beast ala Sarah Goodwill's fanfics? A small collection on the possibilities. Grant, Elise, Faye, and Lori all belong to Sarah Goodwill.
1. Chapter 1

"Mal," he said, offering a hand to her. "I wanted you to introduce you to my parents. . . and, well, my family."

"Oh, okay," she said, holding onto Ben's arm nervously. Great. Belle and Beast. Wait-who else is there?

Indeed, she turned to see a man who looked almost identical to King Beast and a dark-haired woman who seemed in actuality pretty plain. With them were two little girls.

"This is Mal, from the island," Ben said, oblivious to the outraged looks of the royal family. Mal couldn't help but notice how Belle faltered and tried to put on a smile. "My girlfriend. Mal, you probably know my mom and dad?"

"Hi," Mal said nervously, not liking at all how the dark-haired woman was glaring at her.

"I thought we should have lunch together," Ben added eagerly.

"Really?" the dark-haired woman raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, sorry," Ben said. "Mal, this is my Aunt Elise. Uncle Grant is, well my dad's brother."

"Oh," Mal said, stalling for time as she filtered out the rude, snarky options that were in her head. "How. . . nice. And are these your cousins?"

She gestured to the girls who were looking at her with combinations of curiosity, fear, and disgust.

"Well, actually, this is my little sister," Ben said, gesturing to the dark-haired girl with Beast's steely blue eyes. The princess curtsied. "Lori, surely you've met Mal?"

Now Mal remembered- she was the girl she'd 'accidentally' shoved when trying to get to Ben before the match.

"Hi," Mal repeated lamely.

Lori said nothing, not even smiling.

"And this is my cousin, Faye," he said, gesturing towards the red-haired girl with nice gray eyes like a storm.

"Hello," Faye said, sounding curious. "Is it true that you're a fairy?"

"Um, yeah," Mal replied, not sure what the child was getting at. "Well, half a fairy. My dad wasn't exactly fairy kind, if you get my drift."

"Can you do magic?" Faye asked eagerly.

"Faye!" the adults hissed, looking around paranoidly.

"We should have lunch together," Belle agreed quickly, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Any friend of Ben's," Beast began, but Mal cut him off.

"Oh, that's okay," Mal said, thinking quickly for an excuse to get out of one awkward lunch with people who so clearly hated her. "I came with my friends-"

"You can bring your friends," Belle said, sharing an uneasy glance with her husband. "The more the merrier!"

"Alright," Mal said, feeling somewhat better at the prospects of bringing her friends. "I'll go get them."

Before she could turn around to do so, Beast spoke.

"Why don't we have a croquet match before lunch?" Beast asked.

"Alright!" Ben grinned. "Game on, Dad."

"Game on," Beast replied, awkwardly returning the fist bump.

* * *

Ben came to her after the fiasco.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Mal demanded, bristling. She then forced herself to calm down, feeling guilty. This was Ben. Calm, patient, caring Ben. A real Prince Charming, one she would never deserve. She felt a lump rising in her throat. "No."

He took her hand gently and smiled at her, a sympathetic smile.

"Don't worry about my family," he said in a low voice. "They'll come around."

Mal shook her head. "I doubt that, Ben."

"Even if they don't," Ben admitted, hesitating, "what do they know? I'll still love you, no matter what they say."

"R-Really?" Mal couldn't help but feel even more about him when he said things like that. Of course, she felt terrible, considering that she _caused_ this, except-moments like these made her wonder if he'd genuinely fell in love with her.

"I said that I'd teach you what love is," he said with a sad smile. "This is what it means. Still loving you, no matter what they say."

"Um, thanks," she said. "I don't know what to say."

He just embraced her, and she embraced him back, memorizing what she was about to lose.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wha-oh!" Mal cried as Ben lifted her off the ground and spun her around. She just laughed and embraced him even tighter.

"Just let me rescue you next time," he said.

"Let's hope there won't be a next time," Mal said breathlessly. He looked so regal and kingly-not quite what she fell in love with. She smirked as she adjusted his crown to a more lopsided one, and he laughed.

They embraced again, and Mal couldn't help but see Grant and Elise coming forward with Belle and Beast. She quickly stepped back, as if she'd been shocked, and smoothed her dress nervously.

"You did well," Belle said, smiling affectionately at Mal. She glanced at Ben. "I can understand why my son loves you."

"Uh, thank you, Your Majesty," Mal said nervously, and she added in a quick curtsy.

"Call me Belle," the former queen said warmly. "I'd be pleased if you'd join me and my sister for tea tomorrow afternoon. I'd enjoy getting to know the future queen."

"M-Me?" Mal couldn't wrap her brain around it. _Well, Ben is the king. I guess that means. . ._

Ben wrapped his arm around her and she felt at home. She heard a _clink_ behind her and saw a man putting a glass case over the tiny lizard that remained of her mother.

"Be careful!" she cried. "That's my mom!"

The servants nodded and seemed to be handling the case much more delicately. Belle nodded her approval behind her, and Ben took Mal's hand.

"Let's get this party started!" he declared.

* * *

Mal was now standing in the hall of the stained glass windows detailing the story of Belle and her Beast. She smoothed her dress nervously, and fidgeted with the signet ring on her finger. Her dark purple hair fell into her face and she tucked it behind her ears.

 _Will they like me? Will they think I'm good enough for Ben?_ Mal couldn't help but wonder. _You're Maleficent Bertha Faery. You can do this. You used to not care about anything the royals had to say!_

 _I used to not care about anything, then,_ Mal reminded herself somberly. _Fairy Godmother-she said the love in my heart **grew**. Like there was nothing there before._

A maid approached, with long brown hair in a ponytail and two strands curled and framing her face.

"Belle and Elise will see you now," the maid said. "Come along."

She followed the maid into a large library where Belle was reading a book and Elise was sketching a Fleur-de-lis of some sort-Mal wasn't exactly well-versed in flowers. Elise jumped, and nudged Belle, who quickly shut the book and rose.

"Thank you, Fifi," Belle said, and she shook hands with Mal. Elise just stood to the side.

Belle and Elise escorted Mal to a table with a white, pink, and purple tea set near the window. Mal took a seat between the two women and glanced at the beautiful landscape outside. She looked back to Belle and Elise.

 _Make it work-for Ben_ , she told herself. She gingerly took a cookie from the center plate and nibbled on it, and then set it down quickly, realizing the sisters weren't doing anything. She stared down at her lap and twisted the ring on her finger once again.

"Sorry, would you like some tea?" Belle asked, clearly trying to diffuse the tension.

"Um, sure," Mal said, staring at her tea cup.

Belle smiled warmly and poured some for Mal, and then looked to Elise inquisitively, who nodded in response. Belle poured for Elise, and then some for herself.

"Milk and sugar?" Belle asked.

"Sugar, please," Mal said shyly, in a voice so small she wasn't entirely sure she'd spoken at all.

"Of course," Belle said, and she handed the sugar bowl to Mal. Mal's hand hadn't closed around it properly, and she accidentally dropped it. Fortunately, it didn't break, but sugar spilled all over the table.

Mal thought she was going to cry. She clenched her fists, staring at the signet ring on her finger and repeated to herself, _Maleficent Bertha Faery does not cry. I don't cry._

"It's alright, dear," Belle assured Mal. "Everyone has a spill every once in a while. Ben used to drop his tea all over the seats when Lori or Faye dragged him into a tea party." One of the maids came and helped clean it up, and they resumed the adding of sugar and milk.

"How are your studies?" Belle asked as she picked up her chipped tea cup.

"Good," Mal said, searching for the right things to say. "I finally graduated from Remedial Goodness. I'm now taking Art."

"Art?" Belle looked to Elise as if trying to get her attention. "Such a wonderful subject-I wonder, do you have anything to show us? I'd love to see your work. . ."

"Um, no, sorry, not unless you plan on making any trips to the Isle of the Lost," Mal admitted.

"Oh" was all Belle said. Mal decided to finish her cookie.

"Elise, maybe you should give Mal some art lessons," Belle said, trying again.

Elise glanced at Mal, and her polite smile couldn't hide the woman's distaste for Mal. Mal simply stared at her, knowing that it would make Elise a little more uncomfortable. Did Mal care? _By the powers of Hell, no._

"It's alright, Your-Belle," Mal corrected herself. "I understand Princess Elise is probably too busy-"

"Not too busy for one art lesson," Belle said pointedly. "Besides, I'm sure Ben would appreciate having some of your artwork to hang in the castle."

"Uh, alright, Belle," Mal said, glancing at Elise again, who was doing very little to hide her displeasure. "Thank you, Princess Elise."

"Don't mention it," Elise said in a voice that could only be called hostile.

Mal stared into the contents of her teacup again. _At least Ben will be happy._


End file.
